Man of Steel Review

Published on June 13th, 2013

Grade: A-

Superman finally flies back into theaters this weekend in The Man of Steel. I was really excited to get to see this film. I’ve been waiting for a new Superman film since Superman Returns. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect with Zack Snyder in the directors seat, but after Sucker Punch I was worried.

Snyder and Chris Nolan went the smart route and started from scratch, giving the back story to Superman for those who don’t know it. In fact telling the story from Superman’s beginnings on Kryton, means that even if you know nothing about the Man of Steel, you can still enjoy the film and learn where he came from.

All in all I enjoyed the film for what it is, summer blockbuster superhero action flick. It has a descent plot, there are tons of big huge action sequences that fans have been begging for, and because he’s facing his own species on earth it gives justification for him to let loose and pummel the bad guys. The action sequences feel big and grounded and are fantastic to watch. The whole story has a moody tone to it, especially in flashbacks to Clark as a child, it’s a clear attempt to try and humanize the man of steel, and I’m okay with that.

Henry Cavill does a great job in the part of Clark Kent/Superman. He looks damn good in the suit and does a great job carrying the film. He’s captivating and I think they did a good job by casting him in this role.

Michael Shannon as General Zod in MAN OF STEEL. Image thanks to Warner Bros.

Actor Michael Shannon embodies the role of General Zod. Making sure we dislike him from frame one. Shannon has a true talent for playing the bad guy and I don’t mean to pigeon hole him in any way when I say he’s the ideal person to play the ultimate baddie like Zod.

The only person in the film off their A Game for me was Amy Adams. She misses the mark for me. Especially when she’s supposed to be acting in terror as she’s falling back to earth in an escape pod. She’s also supposed to have a thing for Superman.. she is Lois Lane after all, but it’s the epitome of unbelievable. Worst on screen kiss ever. They probably could have done a better job casting the part.

While the film was awesome it isn’t without it’s flaws. I think Snyder made a big mistake shooting something like 95 percent of the movie on a single hand held camera. It makes me feel like Snyder used Man of Steel to experiment with technique and he shouldn’t have been. It’s such a well known franchise, you have to do it right and not mess around. Thanks to this technique of filming, much of the film is shaky. Not as bad as something like Cloverfield or other found footage films. But it’s not to a standard I would expect a film like this to be. I would expect some Steadicam use, some cranes, some dolly work. I’m a very visual person. I love when a photo or film looks amazing because of quality work. I wouldn’t give Man of Steel any cinematography awards.

Then there’s the really really big issue with the film. It’s so big.. so much destruction.. such a big bad guy. Zod just keeps coming back for more. So if Zod was this bad, what could be worse than him? Where do you go from there?

That kind of says it all right there? Where do you go.. I’m interested to see what the next film will bring. MAN OF STEEL has everything the audience is looking for in a summer blockbuster. It’s a nice solid start to what could be the revitalization of the Superman franchise. Go see it! You’ll enjoy it and have a good time.